Application of semisolid joining—Part 4 glass/metal, plastic/metal, or wood/metal joining

A new process of joining nonmetals and metals such as glass and metal, plastic and metal, and wood and metal is proposed; the process shows excellent formability and joining ability of semisolid metals, and differs from the process of joining using adhesive or mechanical joining with screws or nails. In the process, a semisolid metal is inserted into the channel of the material to be joined such as glass, plastic, or wood and is rapidly solidified under pressure. The applications of the process to the fabrication of different components such as knobs, shafts, buttons, hinges, frames, and electronic substrate are considered. The application range of the process is wide, i.e., from the electronic industry to arts. The advantages of this new joining process are (1) ease of joining, (2) good joining strength, and (3) ease of carrying out mass production.